Having A Birthday Dinner Picnic By The Trains

Our son wanted to spend his birthday dinner at our favorite picnic place, by the Ashland Visitors Center watching the trains. We got lucky today, no garbage train! This time we were graced by Amtrak and one of my favorite trains, the AutoTrain!

And what’s a birthday train watch without a souvenir? We had two train smashed pennies in the car and decided to have them flattened again. The problem was, we couldn’t find one of them after Engine 73 went by. Wonder how much money gets lost on train tracks across the U.S.?

Amtrak 73 Southbound

We laid our final penny on the track again and waited for the next train. This time it was another Amtrak. And once again we lost our penny. We stared at it, watched it bounce and fly onto the track. But between the three of us, we could not find it! You’d think a shiny flat penny would be easy to see! Nope. One of the other visitors to the track this afternoon also helped us look for our lost penny. He couldn’t find it either. The AutoTrain really did a number on it. Flattened it so well it must have evaporated! Continue reading →

Randolf-Macon College And Trains

Today while watching the trains the little Prince started chatting up two college girls on their way back to campus. He asked them if they thought the trains were loud when they were studying? Great opening line. Both of them equally lovely, the brunette spoke first and noted on sunny days they don’t bother her at all. But on a snowy day this past winter, she wished she could push the mute button because they seemed to echo through the snow.

CSX 5389 – Southbound

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Rain or Shine The Train’s On The Line

Even on rainy days we can’t run errands without swinging by the Train Depot. There’s something about hearing that train horn sound off in the distance on a cloudy day. It seems to echo against the clouds and herald the arrival of adventure.

Amtrak 176 – Southbound

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More Picture Taking

We love trains, but we’re certainly not die-hard enthusiasts. We meet all kinds of train fans on our little excursions. Some folks are retired employees of CSX or other train companies. Folks who know a lot more about trains than we do. We’ve learned a lot from these folks too. Did you know that rail transportation has been around since the 1st century?

We met some interesting guys on our recent trip to Ashland to watch the trains. They too were taking pictures.

CSX

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It’s Cold In February

But it’s still a nice brisk day to watch the trains head north with their freight.

CSX 5410

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Capturing The Moment

We have met some wonderful people on our many trips to the Ashland Depot. People from around the country have stopped here to catch a glimpse of the passing trains and mark their moment on camera.

Amtrak 814

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An Unusual Engine

We’ve seen a lot of different types of CSX engines roll through town. But this is the first black Amtrak engine we’ve ever seen.

Amtrak 145

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A Lazy End To Summer

During the school year when the boys need their hair cut, we turn the mundane errand into a fun train watching reward afterwards. That’s the great thing about the local grocery store deli. Nothing like popcorn chicken to put a smile on everyone’s face.

Amtrak 154

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There aren’t many things we get to do for free. But watching trains is one of those things we really enjoy doing and it doesn’t cost anything but gas.

Amtrak 85

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After Dinner Treat…Again

It’s always nice to take a walk on a warm summers night after dinner. One of our favorite places to take our walk is along the trains. They set off some very lovely light shows.

CSX

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